Saviour
by AngstyCanadianGleek
Summary: How would Harry's first year have been different if he'd been in Slytherin? Snape is sent to deliver Harry's letter when the first letter doesn't reach Harry. When he arrives, he is shocked to discover Harry's treatment at the hands of the Dursleys and makes a discovery about Harry that changes both of their lives forever. Canon pairings, AU, eventual Drarry. Rated T
1. Chapter 1

**Snape is sent to deliver Harry's Hogwarts letter after the first one does not arrive. What he discovers when he arrives is beyond his wildest nightmares. But it's Harry's appearance that brings the most shock and changes his life forever.**

Severus stood on the front porch of 4 Privet Drive with a scowl on his face. He couldn't believe Dumbledore had sent him to deliver Harry Potter's Hogwarts letter to him. Of all the things he would rather be doing; classes were beginning soon and Severus had to prepare himself to deal with unruly and confused eleven-year-olds. Severus did, however, find himself frowning at the envelope that was addressed to the Cupboard Under the Stairs. That had to be a mistake of some kind.

Severus scowled as he knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer the door. After what seemed like forever, a pink-faced, fat, blonde boy answered the door with a look of annoyance plastered over his face.

"What do you want?" the boy demanded; Severus fought the urge to yell at the disrespectful brat about his deplorable manors and asked to speak with Harry Potter.

"Why do you want to speak with that freak?" the boy asked, his tone just as rude as before.

"I'm here to give him a letter which he has failed to receive," Severus informed the boy, finding himself loose patience with the child with each passing minute.

"Well, he's upstairs with my father being taught a lesson for burning our meal today... I don't think you'll be able to speak with him tonight," the boy said, his expression filled with sick joy and whatever punishment Potter was receiving. Severus found a sick sense of dread and horror had filled his body. Something told him he would regret it dearly if he left the house now.

"Get out of my way, you fat, disrespectful brat," Severus said to the child with a sneer on his face. "I was sent to deliver this letter and I will not be leaving until I do. So you can either tell me where the Potter boy is or you can remain here with me until you do."

The fat boy seemed to think about his choices for a while before pointing angrily up the stairs.

"He's in _my_ second bedroom. My mum and dad moved him in there this morning," the boy muttered, clearly upset about his cousin being given his... second bedroom? Why did that fat child need a second bedroom while the Potter boy hadn't received a bedroom at all? But Severus couldn't help but feel that this wasn't the only thing that brat received that Potter didn't.

Upstairs, Severus could hear loud thrashing sounds accompanied by a child's cries of pain. The sounds were loud and vicious.

"Shut up you pathetic whelp! How dare you burn Dudley's super! How dare you think you think you can continue to live here and not contribute properly! You are expected to cook decent meals and not burn them! Are you really that much of a freak?" the angry voice cried. A loud crash followed after the man's angry rant. Severus had heard more than enough.

Severus slammed the door open and burst into the room to find a fat man, who was a perfect resemblance of the fat brat downstairs, was bending over the side of the bed with a look of pure evil on his face. The man's face was full of more evil than Severus had ever seen in even Voldemort himself. When the man turned to speak to Severus, he merely took out his wand and stupified the ugly, purple-faced man. He went down on the floor with a crash, causing a startled whimper from the child behind the bed.

Severus quickly brought his expression neutral because he knew how angry his expression was and that would hardly be a face Potter would trust. As Severus stepped around the fat man, he heard steps approaching the door. Standing at the door was Petunia, she had aged ungracefully over the years and somehow her neck appeared even longer than it had when she was younger.

"What have you done, you freak?" she hissed angrily, crouching next to her husband and taking his pulse. When she realised her husband wasn't dead she looked closer at Severus before her face changed into a look of twisted joy and scandal. She actually looked like Christmas had arrived early.

"Come to rescue the _Potter_ boy?" She said 'Potter' in a tone that made Severus more than a little curious. "You should be damn well grateful we took that bastard into our care at all! He got everything he.."

"Stupify!" Severus stupified Petunia when he got tired of seeing her smirking at him like she knew something he didn't and couldn't wait to shove it in his face. The woman collapsed on top of her husband with a small crash. Resisting the urge to kick the pathetic humans in front of him, he stepped over to the other side of the bed and took note of the child curled against the end table.

Severus couldn't make out the child's face but he could make out Potter's black hair, way-too-thin frame and bruises up and down the child's arms. The child's clothes were hanging off of him and it was obvious they had belonged to the human-pig downstairs.

"Potter?" Severus asked as gently as he could. When the child snapped his attention to Severus, he felt his head start spinning and confusion began clouding his mind. Severus couldn't remember the last time he felt so confused. Harry _Potter's_ face looked nothing like James at all. He had Lily's eyes and nose but the rest of it was... The child was a spitting image of Severus when he was eleven. His hair wasn't as long but that was as far as the noticeable differences went.

But before Harry could say anything, his injuries caused him to pass out.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry woke up in a massive bed in a room he didn't recognise. The room was bigger than his new room, Dudley's room and his closet put together. The man Harry had seen earlier was sitting on the other side of the room. He was staring at Harry with a look of complete confusion and concern. He seemed so confused that he didn't notice that Harry had awakened.

"Hello?" Harry asked softly, staring at the man who had a resemblance to Harry himself. The man's eyes shot up and a strange look crossed his eyes. He stood up and made his way to Harry's bedside. Harry frowned in confusion trying to figure out why he was in such a large room with such a large bed.

"Harry, how are you feeling?" The man asked, sounding concerned about Harry. Harry found himself suspicious of the sudden kind behaviour towards him. No one was ever nice to him unless they really wanted something or wanted to do something really mean to him.

"Fine," Harry said carefully, trying to avoid trouble. "Who are you?"

The man looked at Harry and gave a small smirk before sitting down on the side of the bed.

"My name is Severus Snape and you are my son," Severus said. While Harry was unconscious, Severus had healed his injuries and did a simple paternity test; he was somewhat shocked to learn the results. But when he'd remembered _that_ night it made sense.

"But Uncle Vernon told me my father was dead. He said he and my mother were drunks and they died in a car accident," Harry informed sounding confused.

Severus frowned and tried his best to explain the situation to Harry. After clearing up that his parents were not drunks and that they had not died in an accident, he explained to Harry about being his father. Harry seemed confused and highly suspicious of this but he did seem to believe it.

"Why haven't I heard from you until now?" Harry asked suddenly, sounding hurt. His father had been around all these years and had never come to see him. More importantly, he left him at the Dursleys' house where he was treated like dirt. They didn't feed him, they beat him, they made him sleep in a cupboard and called him a freak for no reason.

"Your mother never told me about you but I promise if she had have told me; you would have never gone to live with such barbaric people," Severus insisted, looking at his son's face. His son looked hurt, confused and suspicious. "But I promise, I'm not going anywhere. I came by to give you your letter."

Severus handed Harry his Hogwarts letter and watched as his expression became more and more confused. He stared at Severus with a slight frown before staring back at the letter. He glanced up at Severus and frowned.

"Is this a joke?" Harry asked, his eyebrows raised like he was expecting Severus to give in and admit it to be a joke. "I can't be a wizard I'm Harry, just Harry."

"Well, _just_ Harry. Have you ever made anything happen that you couldn't explain?" Severus asked.

* * *

"Where are we?" Harry asked, looking around the room. He stared out the window trying to see if he recognised what he saw but couldn't place a location. He was now sitting up in bed, taking in what he's learned. Severus had just explained magic and Hogwarts to Harry. He was just finishing explaining the houses when he asked what house his mother had been in.

"Your mother was a Gryffindor; she was one of the few sensible Gryffindors," Severus said with a smile. Harry gave him a confused look.

"Gryffindors value bravery over common sense which means they don't think before they act," Severus explained in a quiet voice. Severus was about to say more when he heard Harry's stomach let out a loud growl.

"I think it's time for breakfast."

When they arrived in the dining room, Harry was surprised to find that the meal was already prepared. Harry wondered if he would he in trouble for not making breakfast but decided not to say anything in case his _father_ had forgotten. After all, the man had just discovered he'd had a son, maybe he'd be distracted enough to allow Harry to even eat something.

"Please, eat something, Harry. I'm not like your relatives. I want you to eat regular meals," Severus informed Harry, as he handed a plate of food to Harry. Harry stared at the food; he'd been planning on taking a few pieces of toast when no one was looking but he wasn't actually expecting to be given food. This had never happened before and Harry was overjoyed.

"As long as I'm good, I get to eat?" Harry asked as he took his food to the table and began eating. Severus stared at his son with a look of bewilderment.

"I don't care if you are good, bad or a straight up nightmare; I will never take food away from you. You are a growing child and require a balanced diet to grow and learn. To take meals away is a crime," Severus informed Harry who was shocked. The Dursleys had told him you were only required to feed the kids you wanted. Harry wondered what else his relatives had lied about. After all, they'd lied about magic, his parents, their requirement to actually provide food for Harry.

"What chores will I be doing here?" Harry asked, looking around the large kitchen; the bedroom he'd been in was large like the rest of the rooms in this massive house probably were. Harry knew it would take him forever to clean this house from top to bottom. Harry was probably going to have to learn how to function on little to no sleep to be able to get everything done.

"I don't expect any chores from you. All I ask is that you eat balanced meals, make good marks in school, and don't put yourself into danger," Severus said quietly but firmly. "But even if you break those rules, you will only be grounded to your room or have to write lines."

Harry stared at Severus with a look of shock. He wasn't sure if he believed him or what his motives were but this seemed too good to be true. What was the catch?

"No offence but that seems too good to be true. There has to be a catch," Harry said; no one has ever offered him such luxuries before and Harry wondered if this was a trick set up by Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. They have done something like this before and Harry wasn't falling for any tricks again. He'd grown to question everything that was offered to him. He stared at Severus with his eyebrow raised and waited to hear the catch.


	3. Chapter 3

Severus stared at Harry completely bewildered for a few seconds. Did Harry believe that there was a catch to receiving affection and care? Severus' own childhood had been rough but at least he understood that he was worthy of care and affection. He certainly never thought there was a cost for him to eat. He was always provided with food, a bed, his own clothes to wear. His father may have been bad he was a saint compared to the Dursleys. Severus had never been beaten to the point of unconsciousness.

"There is no catch, Harry. It is my job to provide these things for you and I know you don't understand that, so I'm just going to have to ask you to try and trust me," Severus said, looking into Harry's calculating eyes. Hary was assessing Severus, trying to figure out the man's intentions. Harry sighed and decided to go along with what he was saying... for now but he was going to try and figure out the catch.

"Okay," Harry shrugged defeated.

"Let me show you your bedroom," Severus said, causing Harry to stare at him like he had grown a second head. His own bedroom? Harry hadn't done anything to earn a new bedroom. This was sounding way too good. Harry figured at this point that he was dreaming. He was going to wake up in his cupboard any second now and find out this had all been a dream. It was going to be a very crushing moment.

Harry stood up and followed the man up a flight of stairs and down a long hallway. Harry figured it best to enjoy this dream while it lasted because it was probably going to end soon. The hallway was lit in a way that made the hall feel warm and comforting. As Harry went down the hall, he would stare at the paintings that were moving and a few were even whispering to each other. A lady in one painting even stepped out of her painting and disappeared.

"Sir? I think I've gone mad! Your paintings are moving."

Severus turned around and looked at Harry for a second before chuckling.

"The painting in our world move, talk and sometimes criticise your clothing choices," Severus added that last part while glaring at a painting of a young woman who simply snorted and gave Severus a one finger solute.

Severus guided Harry into a bedroom that was larger than Harry could have imagined. There was a large bed in the middle of the room, a bookshelf, a desk and end table.

"Harry, what is your favourite colour?" Severus asked. Harry raised his eyebrow in question; he couldn't figure out what the question had to do with anything but this was a dream, so Harry went along with it.

"Green," Harry shrugged, causing the man's eyebrows to raise in a brief expression of surprise. Severus took a stick out of his pocket and waved it about the room. Harry watched at the bland coloured furniture became various shades of green; the rug, the blankets, the desk and several objects. Harry stared at the room and couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was amazing. Harry couldn't believe just how detailed his dream was turning.

"I love it," Harry gasped, knowing he was going to miss the room when he woke up. But Harry found himself entertaining the notion that this was really happening. Harry pinched a bit of skin on the back of his hand between his fingernails and... That hurt! This wasn't a dream! This was really happening! Harry was being given his own bedroom and his own and his own books!

"Thank you!" Harry cried, forgetting for a minute to worry about any strings that might be attached to this amazing room. Harry made his way over to the bookshelf and found the books were all over different magical subjects; transfiguration, potions, charms and history. Harry stared at the book titles with a look of delight and joy. He couldn't figure out which book he wanted to read first.

"I know you probably want to look at these books but we need to go and pick up your school supplies," Severus said as he watched Harry pick up a potions book and begin flipping through it. Harry stared up at Severus with a look of confusion. He remembered the things on the list but couldn't figure out where they were supposed to come from.

"Can we get everything in London?" Harry asked, taking the list out of his pocket and frowning; not just at the idea of not knowing where to get them but at the idea of how much they were going to cost.

"If you know where to go, you can get everything on that list and then some," Severus said, smirking at how intrigued Harry looked.

* * *

Diagon Alley was remarkable in Harry's eyes. It looked like a historic village but the stores were different than anyhting Harry had ever seen before. There were shops for just about every magical item Harry could imagine.

"While you get sized for your robes, I'm going to go and get your textbooks," Severus said, sending Harry into a store filled with many different types of robes. The store was so packed full of robes that Harry wondered how people to fit themselves into the shop.

"Hogwarts, dear?" The voice startled Harry but when he turned to see where the voice came from, he found himself looking at a kind-faced old lady. "We've got them all here. There's another boy here getting sized now."

Harry followed the voice and found the woman working on the robes of a blonde-haired boy his age. The woman immediately began measuring Harry and writing down numbers.

"First year?" The blonde boy was looking at Harry with a bit on confusion and recognition. "My father's getting my books and my mum's looking at my wands. How about you?"

"My father's getting my books, too," Harry said. His heart swelled a little bit to be able to tell someone the 'his father' was doing _anything_. "We're going to get my wand once I'm done here."

"Oh! Would you like to come with us?" the boy asked smiling. Harry nodded as he smiled at the blonde boy. "My name is Draco Malfoy."

"Harry Potter," Harry said, shaking the boy's hand. The boy's face became clouded with confusion but didn't say anything. Harry felt his face heat up and fought the urge to look down at his feet.

"Alright, you boys are done," the woman called, handing each boy a bundle of robes. When Harry followed Draco out of the shop, they found Severus standing with a blonde-haired man who looked exactly like Draco.

Draco's eyes fell on Severus' face and back to Harry who was flushing pink as the blonde boy put together the obvious. The blonde man looked at Harry with a look of shock as well before glancing back to Severus.

"I see," the man spoke.

"Harry, this is my best friend, Lucius Malfoy and my godson, Draco Malfoy."

Harry nodded and extended his hand for Lucius to shake.

"It's a pleasure to make you acquaintance, sir."

Lucius expressed surprise at hearing such a formal greeting and gave a small smile.

"The pleasure is all mine Mr... Potter?" It was then that Harry began to wonder whether it was right for him to use the Potter name when he wasn't a Potter at all. Somehow it just didn't seem right and he was going to have to speak to Severus about that later.


	4. Chapter 4

Draco and Harry got their school supplies together. Harry listened as Draco told Harry all about Slytherin and Quidditch. Draco was really excited to have another eleven-year-old to talk to. Draco had explained that his friends were brainless as they came. After hearing some of the things Draco had to say about them, he had to agree with Draco on that.

"It's a shame first-years can't play. I think you'd make a good seeker," Draco said suddenly causing Harry to smirk but blush slightly. They were standing outside a Quidditch supply shop and Draco was showing Harry the brooms in the window. Draco had explained Quidditch and how the game worked and Harry was happy to listen, even though he didn't really know what much of it meant.

"It's just because I'm small and could pass through the air quicker," Harry said in a teasing tone.

"Actually, yes! The best seekers are small," Draco informed Harry. "Father, can we teach Harry to fly?"

Lucius looked up from the deep conversation he was having with Severus and Draco's mother. It was clear that Severus was explaining everything to Mr and Mrs Malfoy. Harry could tell by the way the blonde adults would keep glancing at Harry and mutter things about 'damn muggles' and 'despicable excuses for human beings'.

"Yes, Draco," Lucius said before suddenly remembering something. "But only if it's okay with Severus."

Severus looked over to Draco and Harry's excited faces before slowly nodding. There was no way he was going to say no to Harry receiving such an important right of passage in the magical community. Lucius and Severus quickly went back to their discussion while Draco began showing Harry the different types of brooms.

When Severus and Harry left Diagon Alley, Severus had a pouch of potion ingredients. When Harry asked about them, Severus shook his head and told Harry that he would explain later. Harry instead began chattering about everything Draco had told him about Hogwarts and Quidditch. Harry really liked Draco and couldn't wait to see the young blonde boy again.

When they arrived back at the house, Severus explained there was something he really had to take care of and told Harry to begin flipping through his books. Harry was confused because Severus had a very worried and serious expression on his face. A few hours later when Severus returned, he had a vial of thick black liquid and a worried expression.

"Harry, the night your mother died, Voldemort may have left a piece of him inside of you and if it remains there he may be able to gain enough strength to return. The potion I am holding will eliminate that piece but it will make you a bit sick," Severus informed, knowing it was more important to remove Voldemort's soul from Harry's body because once it was gone, they'd be able to ensure that he never returned. Harry stared at the potion and slowly nodded.

"I've added a strong sleep potion to the mix so you won't feel the effects. You will be sore and achy tomorrow; maybe disorientated but that should be the worst you will feel," Severus explained as he handed the potion to Harry. Severus instructed for Harry to lay down and watched carefully as Harry swallowed the potion. Harry began nodding off at the effects of the sleep potion began to take over. Eventually, Harry was in a deep sleep and Severus could see the lightning scar was already beginning to fade.

That night Severus watched as the potion worked causing the boy to sweat, tremble, shake and finally as the last of the Horcrux left Harry's system in a violent manner, the boy's boy convulsed. Severus watch in complete horror as grey and black smoke began pouring out of Harry's scar. The smoke looked like it was trying to fight its way back into Harry's forehead be was being blocked from reentering. With one final spasm from Harry, the last of the smoke left Harry's body and the scar was gone completely.

Severus sighed in relief because that was the final Horcrux destroyed. Albus had been destroying them all summer long and now that the one place on Harry had been destroyed, any and all chances of Voldemort returning were officially gone. If Severus was worried the potion hadn't worked completely, his worry disappeared when a searing pain on his forearm caught his attention. Severus rolled up his sleeve in time to see his dark mark bubbling and fading from his arm. When the mark was gone completely, Severus felt tears of joy falling down his cheeks. Severus was finally completely free.

When Lucius stepped through the fireplace he was holding his arm up, looking just as relieved as Severus. It was that moment that Severus was glad he decided to take Lucius' advice and rid Harry of his Horcrux. It was horrible to think that his son had a piece of Voldemort's soul inside of him and now the child was free of that presence and the world free of the Dark Lord.

"Are you ready for any backlash that may result from this?" Lucius asked, knowing some Death Eaters were going to be less than pleased to discover that their 'leader' would be gone for good now.

"I've already strengthened my wards but I'm not expecting anyone to be able to connect this to Harry or myself. Most Death Eaters knew about Dumbledore's mission and they'll more than likely blame to old coot for this," Severus said, still not thinking too kindly of the man for placing his son with such horrible people. "Is the other thing completed.

"Yes, I was surprised you wanted to change the boy's name but his discomfort at being called Potter was clear. I was able to push it through a couple hours ago and I'm doing it free of charge," Lucius explained, still excited at his family's newfound freedom and security. It was liberating.

* * *

When Harry woke up the next morning, his head was hurting more than if ever had before. His forehead stung and his head was throbbing but the pain was already beginning to ease up. By the time Harry got downstairs, the pain was reduced to a dull ache. Severus was sitting at the table with two plates of chocolate pancakes and whipped cream. When Harry sat at his spot, Severus slid a piece of paper over to Harry. Harry examined the paper before he threw his arms around Severus' neck.

He was no longer Harry Potter; he was officially Harry Evan Snape.


	5. Chapter 5

When Harry saw Draco a few days later, Draco was quite excited. This was the first time Draco got to see Harry fly and he was beyond excited to see if he was going to be any good. The air was the perfect temperature for flying and Draco knew about the lemonade and snacks Narcissa had made for after the lesson. Draco had a couple brooms sitting by the door and Lucius stood next to Draco warning him not to go too fast.

"It's Harry's first time on a broom and it wouldn't be a good idea to go too high. Just take it nice and slow," Lucius said quietly as Draco began chattering about playing Quidditch with Harry. The last thing they needed was for Harry to get hurt after such a powerful procedure. Lucius was hesitant to have Harry on a broom so soon but Severus insisted that Harry should be fine.

Severus sat back with Narcissa and watched as Lucius showed Draco and Harry how to mount their brooms and hover in place.

"Severus, I wanted to thank you for what you did. I know you did it to save Harry but you brought my husband back. Lucius has been a different person; he's happy for the first time in a long time. You've given me back the man I fell in love with," Narcissa said with a large smile as she watched Harry and Draco take to the sky. Harry looked excited as he began to soar higher and higher. Draco watched Harry with a look of approval and happiness; the blonde boy was completely fascinated by Harry's look of pure bliss.

Draco watched Harry with a look of approval and happiness; the blonde boy was completely fascinated by Harry's look of pure bliss. For some reason, seeing Harry this happy made Draco feel happy as well. Harry and Draco flew around for a couple hours; Draco slowly got Harry used to doing some turns and little flips. The pair quickly discovered that Harry was a natural at flying. Once Harry got over his initial nerves, he was really quite talented.

When the two boys finally returned to the ground, it was clear how tired they were but they did their best not to show it... Unfortunately, their best effort resulted in them falling asleep on the couch while they waited for the snacks to arrive. The pair had been talking about school and Harry was telling Draco how he managed to hide from his relatives how well he was actually doing in school. He was telling Draco how excited he was that he wasn't going to have to get bad marks on purpose. As Severus watched Harry sleep, he realised that he was going to have to teach his son how to use a quill.

"There has been an uproar since the Dark Marks faded. Did you know Peter Pettigrew was found in Ron Weasley's bed the night they faded? Molly went crazy and nearly killed him. Apparently, Sirius Black's case is being brought to trial tomorrow. I can't believe it took them ten years," Severus told Lucius who nodded. It had been hard not to chuckle when Peter's bruised and swollen face appeared in the Daily Prophet. Molly had beaten him so badly, he couldn't shift back into his rat form to escape.

"You know the only reason he's not dead is because the kids were in the room," Lucius laughed, noting how vicious the bruises were. Molly was known for being very protective of her children. "Are you ready for Sirius to come back if he's cleared? Dumbledore will probably offer him that History of Magic position he'd been offered ten years ago."

Severus was unsure how he felt about Sirius' return. They got along well enough when James wasn't around to stir things up but it was going to obvious to Sirius that Harry wasn't James' son.

Dobby popped over to the couch and draped a blanket over Draco and Harry. Severus smiled when his son gave a peaceful sigh and nestled happily under the blankets.

"It should be interesting when those two get back together," Severus said. When Sirius was arrested, Remus protested the man's unjust arrest. He knew Sirius was innocent but was unable to provide any evidence that would bring the case to trial. They truly were something when they were together and it was clear how devastated Remus was when Sirius was taken away.

"Remus will probably come along with Sirius to the castle," Severus said, not even bothering to sound annoyed with the idea. Sirius and Remus weren't that bad and brewing Remus' potions would give him something to do at night when he wasn't grading homework. Of course, having Harry around was going to change things too. But as a professor at Hogwarts, it was going to be easier to keep on top of his son's grades.

"What house do you think Harry will go to?" Lucius asked Severus. Severus stared at his son, trying to figure out where he thought Harry would do best. He hoped he was in Slytherin so he could keep an eye on him. His son did have Slytherin traits but also Ravenclaw traits.

"I'm sure whatever house he goes to, he will flourish like his mother," Severus said, smiling at Harry who was softly snoring and completely at ease.

* * *

By the time September first arrived, Harry was too excited to remain still and so was Draco. It was unclear how Narcissa managed to get the boys to go to sleep but somehow she managed to make it happen within a reasonable time. Severus had gone to Hogwarts the night before and as much as Harry wanted to go with him, he knew the train ride to Hogwarts that first year was a right of passage. All first years had to arrive by train to Hogwarts.

Harry and Draco could not wait to get on the train to Hogwarts; they had many plans for when they got to Hogwarts. Harry was looking forward to taking his new classes and learning as much about magic as he could. Draco was looking forward meeting new people and making friends. But the two boys were both looking forward to this big step. They knew how exciting Hogwarts was going to be and how it would shape the people they grew to become.

* * *

 **Next chapter will be Harry's sorting... How different will Harry's first year be with Voldemort gone once and for all?**


	6. Chapter 6

As Harry stared at the Hogwarts express; he was here and finally going to Hogwarts. Draco looked just as excited as Harry did as they began marching towards the train with determined expressions on their faces. The two eleven-year-olds were ready to go to Hogwarts and start learning magic for real. Of course, Draco and Harry had spent time practising spells when nobody was looking. Harry did not want to get to Hogwarts and look like an idiot; especially with his father there.

There were students everywhere, dragging trunks and animals towards the train. Parents could be seen hugging their children and wishing them well. Some of the parents not even trying to hide the fact that they were crying. The younger children were practically running towards the train with eager and excited expressions while the older kids who have been there before were focused on catching up on their summers.

A few students were already wearing their Hogwarts robes and strutting proudly like they were the only ones who had them. Draco had pointed out that they were probably muggle borns.

The inside of the train was warm and comforting and the compartments were quite large. Draco and Harry quickly found a compartment where they could wave goodbye to the Malfoys. Narcissa could be seen wiping tears away from her face and hugging Lucius who looked like he was biting back tears himself. Once the train began moving, Harry and Draco pulled out their wands and began levitating their new quills. By the time they arrived at Hogwarts, they had levitated their quills, parchment and were attempting to levitate a cauldron but it was too heavy.

When they stepped out of the train, Harry could feel older kids staring at him with various expressions. Some were being subtle about it while others were outright staring at him. They began whispering about how much he looked like Snape.

"Hey, take a picture, it'll last longer!" Draco shouted as Harry began to squirm uncomfortably at his side. Without hesitation, Draco gently grabbed Harry's wrist and guided the boy towards the voice that was calling for the first years. Harry took his attention away from the gawking teens. Harry did not like being the centre of attention; it reminded him too much of when Uncle Vernon would remind him of how much of a freak he was or when Dudley would reveal something really embarrassing at school.

"Just imagine how much worse it would be if you still had the scar," Draco whispered causing Harry to realise how much worse it could have been.

* * *

The Great Hall was the largest room Harry had ever stepped foot into. The ceiling looked exactly like the night sky, including stars except for the candles floating over the tables. There were four massively long tables where the older students were currently seated and watching the first years being led in by Professor McGonagall. Harry felt his excitement being temporarily overshadowed by nerves.

At the front of the room, there was the staff table. In the middle of a table was a man who with a long silver beard and sparkling eyes that seemed to light up the whole room. There was a man with a massive turban who caught Harry's attention; he seemed to be scowling in Harry's direction. When Harry finally found Severus, he gave a small nod to his father who gave him a brief nod.

"When I call your name, I want you to take a seat on this stool and the sorting hat will place you with your house," Professor McGonagall called, causing the room to go still. "When you have been sorted, you will go and sit with your house."

When she called the first name, Harry stared nervously at Draco who looked a little bit nervous himself but both boys tried to hide it keep the other from getting even more nervous. They watched as students had the hat placed on their heads and watched as the hat would call out a house name that would determine each child's future housemates.

When Draco was called up, Harry couldn't help but laugh as the hat called Slytherin before even touching Draco's head.

"Harry Snape."

The Great Hall filled with whispers as all of the students looked up with anticipation. Harry swore he heard someone express disbelief that 'the greasy git' actually procreated.

Harry gulped but made his way over to the stool with a look of determination. There was no way he was going to give these gossiping fools the satisfaction of watching him tremble. The best way to get by in school, as Harry figured, was to always look confident and in control. It didn't matter whether or not it was true, it just mattered that it was believable. This also worked with keeping the Dursley's off his case.

When the hat was placed on Harry's head, a soft voice filled his mind.

' _I was wondering when I'd be seeing you. You are difficult to sort. You've got a strong mind and your survival instincts are strong. You are clever and resourceful, ambitious and creative. I can see where you would best belong. Yes, you have the heart of a survivor and the wits that go with that. I believe I will put you in SLYTHERIN!'_

When the hat shouted that last part, Harry's whole body seemed to relax as he made his way towards the Slytherin table which was clapping and cheering louder than the rest of the tables. Harry was honestly just happy to be sorted with Draco; he was unsure what he would have done had he been sorted into a house without a single familiar face. Harry looked back and took a glance towards the staff table; his father was clapping along with the rest of the staff but Harry could see pride shining in his dark eyes.

* * *

Severus felt Sirius look to Harry and back to Severus with a knowing expression. The rest of the staff looked at Severus with confused expressions but Sirius wasn't confused; he looked like he had been expecting it. The only other person at the table who wasn't wearing a shocked expression was Dumbledore.

"So, he's in Slytherin," Sirius started, causing Severus to chuckle.

"Yes, your Godson is a Slytherin," Severus said, causing Sirius' expression to cloud with joy.

"You still want me as his Godfather?" Sirius asked excitedly.

"Yes; if anything for when the boy decides he wishes to become an animagus... I caught him reading up on them a few nights ago and made him promise to not attempt it until he was at least fourteen," Severus said... Of course, Severus had placed a charm on Harry to prevent any attempts until then but they already knew what the young boy's alternate form would be. They had checked the night before Severus came to Hogwarts and found that the young boy would be able to take the form of a wolf.

Sirius smiled at the idea of teaching his godson how to become an animagus. Severus knew this was the best for everyone if Harry was taught by someone who had already foregone the process and could safely assist him. Besides, Sirius wouldn't be that bad to have as a godfather. Besides, if he got carried away, there would always be Remus to bring him back in line.

* * *

 **Happy New Year!**


	7. Chapter 7

After the feast, the Slytherin Prefect Adam Night gave the first years a tour of the castle and finally took them to the Slytherin common room where they were told to sit and wait for Professor Snape to come and speak to them. After making sure the first-years knew where the toilets were, he took off to look at a second-year's Transfiguration essay.

Harry and Draco sat down on a couch with Crabbe and Goyle. Harry had met them over the summer and found them to be entertaining. Draco wasn't too close with them but he was friendly with them.

"They might not be the brightest but they make good allies," Draco had told Harry when the two boys had gotten lost in Draco's house despite having been in that house at least a dozen times that summer alone.

"Did you see the potions lab?" Harry asked Draco in awe. Harry was amazed with how large the lab had been and how impressive it looked. Harry was looking forward to exploring the lab and seeing how many brilliant potions he could make. He had worked in his father's lab over the summer and found himself fascinated by potion brewing. Draco had simply made a crack about having it in his blood before claiming Harry as his potions lab partner.

When Severus walked in, Harry smiled and turned his attention to his father who was already handing out pieces of parchment to them.

"Welcome to Slytherin, little hatchlings; I am Severus Snape. These are your schedules; they not only show your class times but your bi-weekly study sessions," Severus said, nodding towards the schedules.

"Here in Slytherin unity is very important which is why you are divided into study groups which will be led by a sixth-year student. They are there to help you with homework, adjusting to certain materials and to the school in general. I expect my hatchlings to be in bed by no later than ten. I will be in charge of discipline and making sure you have everything you should need. That means if you find you have outgrown your robes, should you become ill at night or if you have any problems with other students."

Severus walked over to a chalkboard and pointed to it.

"This is a self-updating chalkboard. This is where you will find your notifications and class cancellations, should they come about. You will also find reminders of upcoming tests and assignments here," Severus informed them before he began telling the first-years where to find their dorms. When he was finished, Harry and Draco stayed behind to speak to Severus.

"Harry, I wanted to let you know that your Godfather wishes to have lunch this weekend; he wishes to introduce himself to you," Severus told Harry who gave Draco a confused glance before looking up at his father. He wasn't even aware that he had a godfather but the Dursleys had lied about a lot so it wasn't that surprising to learn that they would lie about this as well.

"Sirius Black?" Draco asked looking to Severus for confirmation. Harry had heard his name being whispered and had seen the man being introduced as their History of Magic professor but hadn't been aware that he was Harry's godfather.

"That is him. Do you want to go, Harry?" Severus asked and received an eager nod from Harry in return. Harry was excited at the idea of meeting his Godfather and couldn't wait to meet the man.

"Are you ready for your classes tomorrow, boys?" Severus asked.

"Yes, father. I can't wait for potions," Harry said. "And transfiguration looks interesting too."

Severus couldn't help but smirk at Harry's interest in transfiguration. He knew Harry would study hard in that class to help with his animagus training later in life. Severus knew that would ensure great marks within that class.

"You boys had better get to bed, you have a busy day ahead of you tomorrow."

When the boys disappeared into the dorm rooms Severus took a chance to reflect upon how much his life had changed since he was sent off the deliver a letter to Harry _Potter._ Suddenly he was a father and he still couldn't believe it. But Severus was surprised at just how happy the idea of having a son actually made him. He was going to have to work extra hard to remain the scariest teacher at Hogwarts.

* * *

Transfiguration was interesting and to Harry's pleasure, they began by turning matches into needles. A girl called Hermione Granger got hers to turn first and earned Gryffindor twenty points. Harry and Draco succeeded next, both earning Slytherin fifteen points each. By the end of class, no one else had turned their matches but Neville Longbottom had somehow managed to turn his green.

"Did you see when Crabbe's match started to glow?" Draco asked Harry as they made their way to the potions lab. Harry fought the urge to chuckle as he remembered Crabbe's awed expression before he decided to ask the Professor McGonagall what he was doing wrong.

"At least his did something. Did you see Goyle? He looked ready to throw his match out the window?" Harry chuckled.

As they made their way to the Potions Lab, Harry once again heard students whispering in the halls. They had whispered at breakfast and now they were whispering again about 'the potion master's son.' He heard a couple students better that Harry had been created by a potion because 'there was no way a woman would have gone near that greasy git.' Harry rolled his eyes and stepped into the potions lab.

Harry and Draco took a seat and watched as the rest of the students made their way into the classroom. Everyone sat down and began whispering to each other until the door slammed shut. Severus stood at the front of the classroom with an expression that would bring small children to tears. Neville Longbottom seemed the tremor at the site of the Potions professor.

"I do not want any foolish wand waving or giggles. You will be working with volatile chemicals and extreme temperatures. Failure to follow instructions could result in injury, illness or death. I expect you to work hard and respect my lab and materials. If you do not pay attention, you will lose points and possibly be dismissed from class," Severus said, causing several students to pale or go stiff with nerves. Harry, of course, understood why it was important to follow instructions but the other students seemed to only hear what would happen when things went wrong. Harry looked at Neville Longbottom's shaking fingers and knew he wasn't going to enjoy this class very much.

"I can teach you to make potions beyond your wildest dreams if you can push aside you frivolous thoughts and pay attention long enough. Mr Weasley! What is the difference between Monkshood and Wolfsbane?"

Ron Weasley paled and turned to Severus and shrugged nervously. Clearly, the red-headed boy had not expected to be singled out so quickly; especially during the first class. Hermione Granger began waving her hand frantically in the air; it almost looked like she was trying to grip the ceiling.

"Speak up, Weasley!"

"I don't know, sir," Ron said with a tremble in his voice.

"Mr Snape?" Severus turned to Harry who sat up straight upon being addressed.

"They're the same plant, sir. Just different names," Harry said nervously. He was pretty sure of his answer from reading his textbook. When Severus nodded, Harry knew he had gotten the answer correct.

"Tell me what will I get if I add Powdered Root of Asphodel to an infusion of Wormwood, Mr Weasley," Severus turned to Ron once again with a sharp expression. Once again the red-head paled a little bit. Harry saw the boys shoulder lift a fraction before he remembered that Severus preferred vocal answers over shrugs. Once again, Hermione's hand flew up into the air, this time even higher than the last time.

"I don't know, sir."

"Mr Snape!"

"Draught of the Living Dead, sir," Harry said. Once again Severus nodded and once again turned to face Ron.

"Where would you look if I tell you to find me a Bezoar, Mr Weasley?"

Once again Hermione's hand went into the air and once again Ron told Severus that he didn't know the answer to the question.

"Pitiful. Clearly having so many brothers ahead of you has been of no benefit, has it. Mr Snape, if you will," Severus said, his tone was slightly irritated at the redhead's lack of basic knowledge.

"In the goat of a stomach, sir," Harry answered, causing Severus to smirk.

"See, _someone_ actually bothered to open a book this summer! Twenty points to Slytherin!" Severus announced, causing the Slytherin students to grin. Crabbe and Goyle shared a high five under their table and Draco patted Harry on the back.

"Sir, I'm sure Hermione would have gotten those answers right if you had have asked her!" Ron said suddenly, causing Severus to cast him a look that would have brought a grown man to tears.

"That will be twenty points from Gryffindor, Mr Weasley," Severus said. When Ron opened his mouth to protest, Hermione put up her hand to stop him. Ron turned red with anger but didn't say anything.

After class, Harry was starving. But before he could get out the door, he found himself blocked by Ron Weasley.

"Bet you loved that, Teacher's Pet! I bet your _daddy_ told you the answer to those questions before you got here!" Ron said to Harry, his face still red with anger and embarrassment from the beginning of class. Harry rolled his eyes and tried to push past the boy but he wouldn't let Harry pass.

"Look, Weasley, I happened to study this summer. Maybe you should give it a try instead of blaming me because you couldn't answer such basic questions!" Harry said, causing the boy to turn another shade of red. Harry noticed that the boy's fists were clenched and he looked about ready to punch something.. Or someone, Harry realised with a touch of fear. The last thing he needed was a bloody face when he went to History of Magic.

"Why you little..."

"Is there a problem, Mr Weasley?" Harry felt himself sag with relief when his father stepped behind Ron. His eyes were fixed on the red-haired boy with a look of frustration and protective rage. Ron seemed to shrink a little bit before nervously shaking his head.

"N-no, sir!"

"Well, off you go! And that will be ten points from Gryffindor," Severus said, stepping aside so Ron could leave. Ron dashed away from the classroom without looking back. It took Harry a great amount of restraint to not chuckle when the boy stumbled as he turned a corner that led to the stairwell away from the dungeons.

"Thanks," Harry muttered, causing Severus to nod and place a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Anytime. I'll walk you to the Great Hall," Severus said. "Draco was wondering where you were; I'm glad I came looking," Severus said as he led Harry towards the Great Hall. Harry once again remembered how hungry he was and happily followed his father. Nervous butterflies began fluttering in Harry's stomach because, in an hour, he was going to meet his Godfather in his first History of Magic class. He really wanted to make a good first impression.

* * *

 **Oh, Severus! He had to target _someone._** **I hope to have the next chapter up soon.**


	8. Chapter 8

The walk to History of Magic was interesting, to say the least. Harry couldn't help but smirk as people began whispering about how a mass murderer was going to be teaching the class. From the other end of the corridor, Harry could hear Weasley telling a couple of the thicker Gryffindors that he would torture them everytime they got answers wrong. Harry wasn't sure what was worse; the fact that Ron was spreading this or that those idiots actually seemed to believe it.

But sure enough, Seamus and Dean were taking in Every word Ron was saying as though it was coming straight from a professor's mouth. It was almost as though they thought Ron's words were going to be on a test of some kind. Harry couldn't understand how Ron could stand there and talk so freely from the top of his head without knowing whether what he said was true or not. Did Ron not realise how dumb he was making himself look.

"You know it's not true and so do _they,_ " Draco said to Harry, carefully shooting a look back to Ron with that last part. Ron seemed to pale slightly at the glance but quickly covered the expression with the weakest smirk Harry had ever seen. If Ron was trying to look intimidated, he was failing miserably.

"They're idiots, Harry. Ron spent most of last night whining about how you've been corrupted by darkness and how you were supposed to have been _his_ friend," Neville Longbottom said, quickening his pace so he could catch up to Harry and Draco. Harry couldn't help but notice just how tired of Ron Neville already sounded. "He's such a prat. He was teasing me about how bad my potion was when his potion was worse. I'm dyslexic, what's his excuse?"

Draco suddenly gave Neville a look and gave a brief nod. Before Harry could say anything, Draco had taken a bit of parchment and a quill from his bag and began to quickly scribble something down. He handed the bit of parchment to Neville who stared at it and gave Draco a strange look.

"Give that to the professors at the start of class; they can modify the texts and instructions on the board so you can read easier. I'm dyslexic too and it makes all the difference in the world," Draco told Neville who could not believe what he was hearing. But Harry couldn't believe Draco Malfoy had dyslexia; the blond boy gave no indication of having any trouble reading or participating in class.

When they walking into the History of Magic classroom, the students all fell quiet as they spotted Sirius Black sitting at the front of the classroom. Harry felt a stir of familiarity when his eyes fell on the man. He wasn't sure how he knew him but the man was undeniably familiar to him.

Harry, Draco and Neville took a seat at the front of the room and set up their parchment and their quills. Sirius' face lit up when his he spotted Harry sitting at the front of the classroom. The man looked like he wanted to speak but he was interrupted when Ron stomped up to the front of the classroom and gave Neville an angry look.

"What are you doing with the snakes, Longbottom? We are sitting over there," Ron said to Neville who flushed and looked back and forth between Harry and Ron.

"I'm sitting here with Harry and Draco," Neville told Ron nervously.

"Why would you want to sit with junior Death Eaters? Or have you already forgotten what Death Eaters did to your parents?"

"You're out of line, Weasley," Draco said, standing up but before Draco could make his way over to Ron, Sirius cleared his throat and gave Ron a look that obviously told him it was time to take a seat.

Sirius made his way to the front of the classroom and wrote the word _history_ on the chalkboard. Once everyone was seated, Sirius took a deep breath and his expression became cheerful and energetic. The effect was contagious because Harry felt himself become energised and ready to learn. Harry also noticed his classmates were leaning forward eagerly and Sirius had not even begun the lecture yet.

"Can someone tell me why it is important to learn history? What we can gain by learning the past?" Sirius stared around the room and nodded in Harry's direction when the young boy began to slowly raise his hand.

"So we can learn from the mistakes we made in the past and hopefully not repeat them," Harry answered slowly. Sirius smiled and wrote Harry's answer on the board. Harry felt relief fill his stomach as he realised he had gotten the answer right.

"That is exactly why we learn history, Mr Snape! Ten points to Slytherin! When we learn the mistakes out ancestors have made, it becomes easier to prevent them from happening again. It is also important to learn from their successes. I won't lie, there are elements that aren't always fun to learn but they are still important to learn. I will do my best to deliver these lessons in a way to keep you interested. Who knows the significance of magical laws?"

Sirius kept the class involved by bringing in student opinions and starting lively conversations and debates. Sirius didn't just tell you what happened in history but did his best to word his lessons in a way that made you feel like you were personally present for these historic events. By the end of class, their assignment for next class was to study the past of one of the ghosts at Hogwarts.

Harry and Draco remained after class so they could speak with Sirius. They had invited Neville to stay but he had a meeting with Professor Dumbledore about arranging his weekend visits with his parents.

Harry and Draco made their way to the front of the room where Sirius was waiting. Harry was excited to finally be able to talk to his godfather so he could make plans for the weekend. If you had have told Harry a few months ago that he was going to meet his Godfather, Harry wouldn't have believed something so good could have happened to him. But now, Harry was just excited to meet the man who had known Harry as a baby and had seen Harry take his first steps. He knew Harry's mum and he could tell Harry about the things in his childhood that the Dursleys had lied about that Severus just wouldn't be able to know.

"Hello Harry and you must be Draco Malfoy," Sirius said shaking the hands of both boys. Harry excitedly shook Sirius' hand and smiled at the man. But Harry wasn't sure what to say to him. As a kid, Harry had spent many hours visioning meeting family members or friends and what he would say to them but they were all childish and stupid things to say now. The last thing Harry wanted to do was make Sirius think he was thick.

"Hello sir," Harry said, causing Sirius to grin.

"Call me Sirius or Padfoot."

"Padfoot sounds familiar," Harry said, trying to figure out where he had heard such an interesting nickname.

"It should; it was your first word! Made your mum furious when you said 'Padfoot' before you even said 'mama'. She was just jealous that she wasn't as awesome as me, though," Sirius said, causing Harry and Draco to laugh.

When Harry and Draco left the room, they had made plans to meet Sirius on Sunday afternoon for lunch. Draco made it clear that he was going and Harry knew his father would want to go as well; if anything to make sure Harry and Draco got to the cafe safely without getting lost.

But Harry figured the Blackberry cheesecake the cafe was famous for had something to do with his father desire to attend the lunch. If the cheesecake was as good as it sounded; Harry would happily sit at a table with Dudley, Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Ron Weasley for a piece.

As Harry and Draco made their way to the Slytherin common room, they spotted Professor Quirrel staring at them from a distance. Something in the way the man was staring at Harry made him uncomfortable. It was almost like the professor was glaring at him. Harry fought to keep himself from visually responding to the stare but Harry couldn't stop himself from shuddering as chills went up and down his spine.

Harry shook his head and decided to ignore the feeling... For now. The last thing Harry wanted to do was start the term with too much drama.

* * *

 **Why is Professor Quirrel staring at Harry like that?...**

 **Next chapter will be Harry's lunch with Sirius...**


	9. Chapter 9

Saturday afternoon Harry, Draco and Severus spent the day exploring Hogwarts. Severus showed the boys the quidditch pitch and some of his favourite spots to go and read on sunny days. Harry enjoyed spending so much time with his father and more importantly he enjoyed that people actually wanted to spend time with him and listen to what he had to say.

By the time the day was over, Draco and Harry had discovered several quiet places to go and relax; Harry and Draco had already made plans to use some of these spots for studying. Harry's favourite spot was one of the hidden rooms in the library. It would be easy to get the books they needed for studying and go and work quietly. They planned to show Neville a few of these spots; if anything to give the boy a place to hide from Ron.

Saturday night, Harry and Draco watched in amusement as Blaise and Goyle argued over Quidditch posters in their dorm room. Blaise had decided there was no way in Hell Goyle's Canadian Crossers Quidditch poster would be going up. But Goyle was just as determined to put the poster up. By the time Harry left to go meet Sirius, Harry was positive the poster was going to be ripped in half when he got back.

Severus escorted Harry to Hogsmeade village. Hogsmeade was a lot like Diagon Alley but it had a more open vibe to it and unlike Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade seemed to have a lot of younger people and the stores seemed to hold a more youthful feel. Harry could see some older witches and wizards around but there were more young people. This could probably be because it was so close to Hogwarts. Harry noticed there were several sweet shops and several clothing shops around.

Harry noticed there were several sweet shops and several clothing shops around. Harry laughed when he saw a quidditch supply shop with a Canadian Crosser poster in the window. He debating buying a small version of the poster and putting it over Blaise's bed when he got back to Hogwarts... But Blaise would kill him.

They still had a few minutes before meeting Sirius and Harry wanted to look at some new sneakers. While Harry looked at the sneakers, Severus went to the potion shop next door. Harry had just found a pair of sneakers he liked when he spotted two familiar red-haired boys looking at some jackets. Fred and George Weasley... This was the last thing Harry needed. But they had already spotted the young boy and were on their way over.

"Look, George, it's Harry Snape."

"I see, Fred. Can you believe our brother?"

"Stupid enough to make enemies with Snape's son!"

"Not every smart, is he, Fred?"

"I believe that's from when you dropped him on his head, George."

"I'm George and this is my brother Fred," George said introducing himself and his brother. "And unlike our youngest brother, we're not idiots."

"Troublemakers, maybe but idiots... Not a chance," Fred said as Harry shook both of their hands. Harry eyed them carefully but he sensed that they were being sincere. They seemed nothing like Ron; they actually had personality.

"Did you sneak here by yourself?" George asked.

"Naughty ikkle-firsty! I approve!" Fred said cheerfully. Harry wondered if the pair had had one too many pepper-up potions.

"Yes, Fred! We shall make him out honorary brother!"

"Yes, much more entertaining than Ron! I like the way your mind works, George!"

"Such a pity He didn't take his mum's hair colour! Then he'd look like one of us!" George said. "Do you think mum would notice if we brought him home and left Ron at Hogwarts."

"If she were smart she wouldn't say anything and just let it go," Fred said causing the trio to burst into laughter. They were laughing so hard that they didn't even notice Severus approaching.

"Harry, it's time to go now."

When Severus spoke, the twins eyed Severus but unlike most of the students at Hogwarts; they weren't visibly intimidated by the man. They actually looked like they found his presence to be amusing. This made Harry respect the twins greatly since even Draco could be intimidated by his father but Harry got the impression that there was little Severus could do to intimidate these two.

"I didn't sneak here on my own; sorry to disappoint," Harry said.

When Severus and Harry left, Harry could hear the twins whispering about how lucky Harry was to have a parent who was a professor because he'd be able to come to Hogsmeade on Weekends when Severus was supervising... which was every other weekend, as far as Harry knew.

"Are they like..."

"They are nothing like Ronald Weasley... Thank Merlin! Those two are actually doing quite well in my class. They wish to open a prank shop and that involves extensive knowledge in charms and potions to create rigged objects and treats that don't harm their victims," Severus said with a smirk. "They want to be able to sell only the safest and most effective products they can make and I think they can do it."

Severus guided Harry to the Golden Diamond Cafe where they found Sirius Black sitting at a table with a man who seemed just as familiar to Harry as Sirius had. He looked thin and tired but his smile was just as wide and contagious as Sirius' smile. Harry found himself grinning as he approached the table. Harry found it hard not to smile; especially when Harry realised it was him they were Harry to see. Sirius had his hands resting on top of the other man's and Harry could see how nervous they looked.

"What if they don't like me?" Harry asked Severus, his voice almost trembling.

"Harry, they've loved you since you were a baby," Severus said as they made their way to the table. "There's nothing you could do to change that."

Once everyone was seated and they had ordered their food, Harry tried to figure out something to say.

"This is Remus Lupin, Harry but we call him Moony... Actually, you used to call him mooy when you were a baby," Sirius laughed at the memory. Harry grinned and shook the man's hand.

"What are your favourite classes so far?" Sirius finally asked.

"I like potions and transfiguration. They're both really interest and I can't wait to see all of the fascinating things we're going to learn," Harry told them. "I like charms too. I wish there was a class on healing, though."

Harry had decided he was interested in maybe studying to be a healer when he was done Hogwarts. He liked the idea of being able to help others when they were sick or hurt.

"Are you excited for flying lessons?" Remus asked as the food was being placed in front of them by a perky house-elf.

"I guess. Draco and his father taught me how to fly this summer but I can't wait to get on a broom again," Harry told them. Harry could easily see flying becoming one of his hobbies in the future. It was a good release and it was relaxing. "I just wish first-years got to fly more than we get to now."

"I understand why. With first-years, you never know who knows how to control a broom which is why you're only allowed to fly under certain circumstances. It's their way of trying to prevent serious injuries," Remus explained. "At your age, broken bones can be more serious and too many potions to heal broken bones can stunt your growth."

"I gave you a 'My First Broomstick' when you were just learning to walk. You were a natural!" Sirius told Harry. "You never fell off and only crashed once... And we were all thankful to see that picture of my mum go." Harry didn't know what picture they were talking about but Harry could tell Sirius was beyond happy to have it gone.

"You don't like your mum?"

"Harry, my mum was crazy," Sirius said frankly. "And that is an understatement."

The rest of the meal was spent talking about classes. Sirius and Remus asked Harry about his friends, what he liked to do and what he wanted to learn in school. Sirius couldn't help but notice how often Draco came up as they spoke. Sirius wondered if he'd be seeing Draco half as much as he was hearing about him. It was nice to get to know these guys. Harry could tell without being told that Sirius and Remus were more than 'just friends' as they told him. With the way they looked into each other's eyes, Harry knew they had been together for a really long time.

At the end of the evening, Harry watched as Sirius and Severus shook hands and gave each other small nods. It almost looked as though they were calling a truce of some kind.

"Alright, Harry. It's time to go back to the school," Severus told Harry. Harry hugged his godfather and his 'friend' and headed back to the castle with Severus. Harry couldn't wait to tell Draco all about today.


	10. Chapter 10

Potions class was much too eventful for Harry's taste. Ron Weasley messed up his potion and decided to ruin Harry's potion by attempting to throw a porcupine quill into the potion... which at Harry's present stage would have blown up the classroom. It was only his poor aim that saved the classroom from destruction. However, it did not save him Severus' wrath.

"Sabotage, Mr Weasley; does that help you feel less inferior about your own performance? Are you aware that had you succeeded, you would have blown us all up?" Severus said in a low but dangerous tone. Severus smirked a little bit as Ronald registered just how dangerous his move could have been. "Mr Snape has already added jellyfish venom which would have reacted catastrophically with those quills... But you will know all about that after you finish writing thirty inches on the topic by next class; won't you Mr Weasley?"

"Thirty! That's not fair!" Ron shouted, his face flushing angrily. Harry watched as Ronald's fists clenched and he glared angrily at the Potions Master. Harry once again found him shaking his head at how easy it was to set Ronald off. The boy had serious temper issues and it was going to get him in serious trouble one day.

"You know, Mr Weasley; I agree, that's not fair!" Severus said smirking in a way that filled Ronald with relief but Harry could tell by Severus' expression that Ronald was going to wish he'd kept his mouth shut. Harry felt himself smirking when Ronald's shoulders sagged in relief; the poor fool believed his punishment was going to be dropped just like that.

"Yes, Mr Weasley; it is quite unfair! Let's make it fifty!"

When Ron opened his mouth to protest, Severus cut him off with an expression that made it clear he was willing to play this game all day. Ronald eventually grumbled and slumped angrily in his seat. Harry could hear Ronald muttering under his breath and Harry was still mad at him for nearly killing him so...

"Did you just call my father a bloody git?" Harry said smoothly, watching as several Slytherins and a few Gryffindors smirk. Harry watched as Neville slapped his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing out loud and Hermione Granger chuckled a little bit in her seat. A couple of Ronald's friends sent Harry a nasty look but mostly they just stared at their feet.

"Bloody git, Mr Weasley? You just bought yourself ten extra inches and detention tonight. And since I'm such a git, let's take away thirty points from Gryffindor," Severus said, not missing a beat. When the bell rang, Ronald angrily stamped out of the room. Harry couldn't wait to go to the Great Hall for supper. As they made their way to the Great Hall, Harry could hear Ronald cursing as swearing; several of the painting reacted by informing Ronald that they'd be having words with the Headmaster about his language. That only added fire to the fuel... "I'm sure your housemates will thank you later."

"Listen to him; not smart enough to stop. It's like he wants to rid Gryffindor of all of their points in one day!" Harry said to Draco who could barely contain his shock at some of the words he was saying. Harry frowned and rolled his eyes; Ronald was impulsive, even for a Gryffindor.

"Yes; it doesn't make sense. The Weasleys are kind, caring people and the words Ron is saying are... Barbaric!" Draco said.

Later that evening, Harry and Draco were in the library reading about animagus when Harry realised they were running late. They packed their books and dashed towards the stairwell. When Harry expressed an interest in becoming an animagus to Draco, Draco decided he wanted to do it as well... Fourth-year was much too far away!

When the stairwell suddenly shifted, Harry and Draco found themselves clutching the railing for support until it stopped moving. Once the stairwell was securely in place, they looked around, not bothering to hide their confusion; being visibly lost might spare them trouble if they were caught.

When Professor Quirrell came down a stairwell with an odd expression, Harry suddenly worried that he was going to be in trouble but the man didn't seem mad; he seemed to be squirming a little more than usual. The man was probably nervous from walking around so late at night; the man was practically scared of his own shadow... How he got his current job was completely beyond Harry. It wouldn't surprise him is the textbook alone was enough to send the man to bed with nightmares.

"Mr P-potter, Mr Malfoy; lost I s-see. D-don't worry. Go d-down that corridor and you'll f-find your w-way;" the stuttering professor said. "B-but don't g-get c-caught."

Harry and Draco went down the corridor as instructed but halfway down, a sinking feeling hit Harry. They were on the third-floor corridor and they were not supposed to be here. Why would Quirrell send them down here...

Harry was about to tell Draco this but the way the blonde boy's face had paled; Harry knew Draco already knew. But when they turned around to go back, they found Mrs Norris sitting in the middle of the hall looking almost too smug for a cat.

"Mrs Norris, please..."

"MEOW!" Mrs Norris' demonic yowl was the only reply to Harry's attempt to pacify her from telling Flitch. She took a step towards the boys, causing them to flinch slightly... There were rumours of Mrs Norris biting and scratching students and they had no intention of having that confirmed by Mrs Norris herself.

When Fitch's voice filled the hall, Harry and Draco began looking around for a place to hide. They found a door and once Harry charmed the door open, they flung themselves into the room. The two boys had barely caught their breath when they heard Fitch talking to Mrs Norris and the angry man followed the ugly cat down the hall.

"H-harry!"

Harry felt his stomach drop when Draco spoke. Draco was stuttering which was highly unusual for him, so that told Harry there was something really wrong and sure enough when Harry turned around, he could see what.

In front of them was a monstrosity that made Harry see what Dumbledore was saying about a 'painful death'. The creature looked like a dog; an angry dog with three heads and it was staring at Draco and Harry the way Dudley stared at a meal. When the beast started growling, long strings of saliva dripped from all of their mouths. When the creature lunged forward, Harry and Draco lunged for the door.

When the door flung open and the boys were out of the room they turned to close the door. It was a struggle to close the door but somehow, the two boys managed to do it. When they finally made their way back to the common room and into their dorm; it took hours for them to calm down and go to sleep. The next morning, Draco and Harry were still shaken and nervous.

"Are you alright?" Blaise said, bringing Harry and Draco out of their thoughts. "You two haven't said a word all day."

"We're fine; just didn't sleep well last night," Harry said, getting an... odd smirk from Blaise.

"Up all night talking. You usually don't stay up late enough to affect you like this," Blaise said in almost a teasing tone. Harry opened his mouth to ask about the tone but when Professor Quirrell walked into the room; Harry got a sinking feeling in his gut once again. Harry nudged Draco and pointed to the stuttering professor who was staring at Harry and Draco as though he was surprised to find them sitting in the Great Hall at all. And he looked disappointed as well; disappointed that the boys were still alive?

"It wasn't an accident, was it?" Harry whispered to Draco receiving only a nod in return from the blonde boy.

"I don't think so, Harry."

Suddenly, Harry felt terrified and unsure of what to do. Clearly, they couldn't go to a teacher; not without solid evidence. For right now, they just had to wait and see what was going to happen.

 **Ooh, why does Quirrel want to hurt Harry...**


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've been really busy lately and I couldn't figure out what I wanted to happen next. But I've got the story plotted out now.**

* * *

"It was standing on a trap door," Draco whispered suddenly, causing Harry to stare at him for a few seconds. The statement came out of nowhere and left Harry confused for a few seconds.

"What was?"

"The beast on the third floor," Draco said. "It was standing on a trap door; it's there to guard something."

Harry shook his head; he was more concerned about why Quirrell would want to hurt them. Harry had casually asked his father what was down the corridor, telling him the stairs had delivered him there but left out the part about meeting the school pet. His father told him is was a dead end hallway and that there was only one room in that hall.

When Harry told Draco this, Draco cursed under his breath, calling Professor Quirrell a lot of things but his name. Harry was glad there weren't any teachers around because the words his friend were using would have lost Slytherin all of their house points. Slytherins tended to lose points without good reason, Harry didn't want to think about how many points they'd lose with good reason.

It was Halloween and Draco and Harry were sitting in the Great Hall eating the Halloween feast. The Great Hall was buzzing with excitement as everyone looked at the amazing feast before them.

"No, you go door-to-door in a costume and people give you candy," Harry explained, receiving confused looks from Draco and most of Slytherin; they were having trouble understanding the muggle custom.

"Muggles spend the night begging candy from strangers?" Draco asked.

Harry opened his mouth to explain but was cut off when the Great Hall burst open and a pale-faced, trembling Professor Quirrell stumbled into the room looking more terrified than usual. His face was chalky white and when he stopped running, Harry could see his legs shaking with fear. For a second, Harry wondered if someone had jumped up behind him and said 'boo'.

"Troll, in the East Towers! There's a troll in the East Towers!" Professor Quirrell screamed before falling into a heap on the floor. If it wasn't for the situation, Harry would have found it hilarious that the man had collapsed with his but in the air, like he had. It would be so easy to walk behind him and kick him in the rear end. But Harry knew that would lose Slytherin more points than they could afford.

There was a deafening silence for a few moments before complete chaos erupted. Students began screaming and making a frantic leap for the door. Draco and Harry looked at each other, unsure of what to do. Harry felt almost frozen in fear but when he looked up to the staff table, the look his father gave him, told Harry to sit and be calm. Harry sat down and gave the rest of his house a look that told them all to be calm and follow his lead. Within several seconds, the Slytherin house was seated and watching the staff table for instructions.

Harry felt almost frozen in fear but when he looked up to the staff table, the look his father gave him, told Harry to sit and be calm. Harry sat down and gave the rest of his house a look that told them all to be calm and follow his lead. Within several seconds, the Slytherin house was seated and watching the staff table for instructions. They still looked scared but they had calmed down.

"Quiet!" Professor Dumbledore called, causing the Great Hal to go still. Students stopped mid run and turned to face Professor Dumbledore. The Slytherin students who were seated and waiting for instruction simply turned their attention to Dumbledore.

"Prefects will guide their students to their common rooms; Gryffindor, you will follow Ravenclaw to their common room. Teachers, if you will follow me to the East Towers, we will take care of our visitor," Dumbledore said calmly but his voice was filled with authority.

The students stood up and began to calmly walk out of the Great Hall. Harry followed the Slytherins to the dungeons. Once they were in the common room, Harry really needed to go to the toilet so he quickly excused himself. The minute Harry opened the door, his nose was assaulted by the worst smell he had ever encountered. It was like a year's worth of rotten food and dirty diapers. If Harry didn't have to go so bad, he would have left and come back later.

When Harry stepped in, he instantly regretted it because standing in front of him was the troll. It was at least twelve feet tall, it's body was covered in dirt, sweat and what looked like warts. It somehow looked stupider than Dudley. When it turned to face Harry, it's hot and smelly breath blew towards Harry like a fresh breeze from the city dump. Harry felt his stomach clench at the smell of the troll's breath.

"I'm sorry, I'll come back later," Harry said as he began slowly backing out of the toilets. As he did, he found himself backing into Draco who was on his way into the toilet. But Harry grabbed his robes to stop him from entering and began pulling Draco towards the common room.

"Harry, I need to use the-"

"There's a troll in there!" Harry exclaimed, cutting Draco off. Draco stared at Harry for a few seconds, trying to figure out if Harry was joking or not. Draco couldn't figure out how a troll could get as far as the toilets without making a mess or damaging anything in its way. There was no way there was a troll in there.

"Harry, that's not funny."

Harry shot Draco a stern look and crossed his arms in a way that reminded him of his father. Draco seemed to see the resemblance as well because the annoyed look slipped away. But before either boy could say anything, the toilet door smashed out towards them with a tremendous smash and the troll ducked out of the bathroom. Draco and Harry ran into the common room as fast as they could; thundering steps behind them indicated that the troll was following.

"Quick, everyone, get out of here! There's a troll behind us!" Harry screamed, knowing if they could all get out of the common room, the troll wouldn't be able to follow behind them.

In a very chaotic and unorganised manner, everyone in the common room began running towards the exit. The chaos only got worse when the troll actually came into sight. The panic and chaos only got worse, resulting in students tripping and falling all over each other. Harry had never seen Slytherins behave in such an unordely manner but this was something that didn't give them time to calculate or come up with a solution. Trolls were dangerous creatures that couldn't be reasoned with.

Harry and Draco were the last ones to crawl out the door but before they could escape the threat, the troll grabbed Harry by the ankle and lifted him upside down. The troll lifted its club and attempted to smash Harry but luckily it was too uncoordinated or stupid to do it right. Harry watched as Draco came back into the room with his wand in hand.

"Draco, what are you doing? Save yourself!" Harry cried, not wanting Draco to put himself in danger just for him. Draco ignored the instruction and muttered a spell just as the troll was attempting to take another swing at Harry's head. Harry felt relief flood his body as the club levitated out of the troll's hand and just above the trolls head. The troll stopped grunting moaning the second he realised he no longer had hold of his club.

The troll spent a few seconds looking for his club. When the club fell on the trolls head, Harry found himself crashing down with a loud crack as his head hit the floor. For a few seconds, Harry was dizzy and confused until he felt someone grab him under his arms and begin dragging him.

For a second, Harry thought he heard a loud crashing sound, like thunder but Harry's ability to focus on anything was gone. Harry wanted to know what was happening but his vision was quickly filling with black spots and a loud ringing in his ears was causing everything he heard to echo until the darkness took over completely.

* * *

When Harry woke up in the hospital wing, he wasn't really surprised. What did surprise him was the fact that his father was sitting beside his bed, holding his hand. Severus looked about ready to fall asleep when Harry stirred. Suddenly the man's eyes shot open and a smile erupted on his face. Severus looked worried, tired, tense and relieved all at the same time. It was clear he was happy that his son had finally awakened.

Harry made an attempt to sit up but that only caused a fresh wave up pain to erupt from his head.

"Easy, Harry! You took a really rough bump to your head. Drink this," Severus said, handing Harry a vial of blue liquid. Harry accepted it and took drank it down quickly before the taste could register on his tongue.

"How long have I been here?" Harry asked.

"About five hours. It's nearly midnight," Severus told Harry as he helped Harry back into a more comfortable position and brought the blankets up to Harry's chin.

"Where's Draco?" Harry asked once the pain was replaced by a warm, soothing feeling. Once the pain was gone, Harry snuggled down a little bit but didn't relax.

"Madam Pomfrey chased him out of here an hour ago," Severus sounded quite amused as he told Harry this. Harry wondered just how much of a fight Draco had put up.

"And the common room?" Harry asked, wondering how much damage the troll had done.

"There wasn't a great deal of damage but with the help of the house elves, we were able to take care of it and the common room is back to normal," Severus told Harry. "We were even able to get rid of the smell but that took several spells and potions."

Harry wasn't surprised to hear it took so much effort to get rid of the trolls odour. He couldn't believe one creature could smell so bad; even Dudley didn't smell that bad when he refused to bathe for two months. It would have been longer but his parents finally put their foot down and forced him to take a shower.

"What'd Madam Pomfrey say? How bad was I injured?" Harry asked, almost scared to hear the answer to this question.

"Your skull was fractured and you had a concussion but we were able to treat that with a few potions," Severus told Harry who nodded in return. He was just thinking about how Quirrell was the one who told everyone that the troll was in the East Towers but instead, it was in the Slytherin toilets! This happening so close to the incident with Fluffy was too much of a coincidence for Harry. There's no way the troll got itself past the portrait by itself; someone let it in and Harry was willing to bet money that it was Quirrell. But why?

"Harry? Are you okay? Do you need more potion?" Severus asked, his voice filling with worry when his son became quiet. Harry looked at Severus as decided he needed to tell his father what had happened with Quirrell. Harry sat up, despite his father's protests and looked Severus in the eye. He had to tell his father what happened and if he was wrong, his father would tell him. Harry didn't want to make accusations without proof but this was two incidents within a couple months.

"Dad, I have something I need to tell you."


	12. Chapter 12

**I just found out this story made the Potions and Snitches community. I wanted to also thank everyone for their kind reviews. I love getting reviews and ideas for my stories.**

Harry's confession startled Severus but didn't surprise him too much because it seemed a little suspicious that the troll would be in the Slytherin common room, not just near it. Severus told Harry that he would look into it and see what was going on. It was all he could do to keep himself from thinking about what could have happened on the third floor.

"Thank you for coming to me! Now, I want you to get some rest. You have your first flying lesson tomorrow," Severus told Harry who was still recovering from the incident with the troll. Severus didn't even try talking Harry out of the flying lesson; Harry was far too excited to even bother.

Harry hadn't been on a broom since summer and he was actually finding himself missing it more than he expected himself to. He already found himself planning for when he was old enough to try out for Quidditch. He didn't care what position he got, as long as he got to fly and experience the same feeling he got the last time. He knew it wouldn't be the same as flying around the Malfoy estate but it would be better than nothing.

Severus walked Harry back to the Slytherin common rooms, warning Harry not to wander the halls alone and try to avoid Quirrell in the halls. In the common room, Harry found Draco and the other first-years were already asleep. Harry decided not to wake them and just went to bed; he'd tell Draco about his conversation with his father later because he was already crashing.

* * *

"Wake up, Harry! We're having flying lessons today!"

Draco sounded about as excited as Harry felt. Harry and Draco made their way downstairs, grinning ear-to-ear. Harry noticed a few sixth-years sneering at how perky they were so early in the morning. Harry knew if Severus could hear the words they use between each other first thing in the morning... They'd be in detention well into the New Year. Harry was certain they'd be forced to stay at the castle over the holiday to continue their detentions.

"Come on, Draco," Harry said, once again pretending not to hear the string of curse words coming out of their mouths. "Let's go eat and then we get to fly!"

The older Slytherins knew the first flying lessons were today based on the way all of the first-years appeared to be inhaling their food and watching Madam Hooch with excited expressions on their faces. There were a few first-years who didn't seem overly excited about flying lessons but they seemed to be in a rush to get the lesson _over with_ as soon as possible.

"Just think, if we do well enough, we'll get recommendations for the Quidditch team next year," Harry whispered to Draco whose eyes widened at the brilliant idea.

"YES! I love the way your mind works!" Draco said smiling; he was clearly planning something for next class. Harry rose his brow at Draco who shrugged as though he didn't know what Harry was questioning. Harry shook his head and went back to his breakfast. He just hoped whatever Draco had planned wouldn't get them in too much trouble.

* * *

Harry and Draco stood with the other first-years, waiting until they were given the cue to kick off. Harry felt excitement budding in his stomach as the moment he would become air-born came closer and closer. Harry could almost taste the thrill of being in the air and it was leaving his body with almost an electric buzz.

"Alright, kick _lightly_ from the ground and hover in place," Madam Hooch said, blowing her whistle. No sooner had the whistle blown, Neville Longbottom's broom shot up into the air. Harry watched horrified as the young boy came toppling down to ground with a pained squeal. Harry's stomach twisted in concern for the boy but Madam Hooch wouldn't let them approach him before he was escorted to the Hospital Wing.

"Hey, Snape! You must be glad you get a little longer before you have to embarrass yourself on that broom," Weasley sneered as soon as Madam Hooch was out of site.

"Sorry, Weasel, you must be thinking about yourself because I can fly and probably better than you," Harry said, remembering how Lucius had called Harry a natural on a broom.

"Yeah! How would you have learned to fly, Weasel?" Draco sneered joining the conversation. "It's not like your family can afford a broom."

Harry watched as Weasley's ears flushed bright red and his fists clenched like he wanted to punch Draco's face in. Harry almost wished Weasley would punch one of them because the amount of points Gryffindor would lose would be well worth the few minutes of pain. He knew his father would have Gryffindor stripped of all of their points before lunch.

"I out fly you in my sleep, Snape!" Weasley sneered.

"Why don't you put your money where your mouth is, Weasel? First one around the rings and back gets bragging rights for the whole year. Loser has to wear the other houses colours to _all_ Quidditch matches this year," Draco said, holding something in his pocket with an unreadable expression. Harry found himself wonder exactly what Draco was planning to do.

"You're on Snape! And do try not to break your neck... Oh, wait! Snakes don't have spines!" Weasley said as he mounted his broom.

"You really should think before you speak, Weasel! Snakes actually have a full skeletal system; which you would know if you actually picked up a book!" Harry said as he mounted his broom. He wasn't sure if he was going to win this race but he was certainly going to try. He did not want to have to explain to his father why he was going to the quidditch matches in red and gold.

"Ready, set, GO!" Draco screamed, ignoring the protests from Hermione Granger who was trying to remind them how Madam Hooch had instructed them to stay on the ground. Harry felt tempted to listen but he couldn't back down now. So without hesitation, Harry shot up in the air towards the rings. As Harry moved faster and higher, he could feel the rush of being air-born and could feel the grin on his face as the wind whipped through his hair.

Harry looped around the rings and was pleased to find he was still ahead of Weasel. As Harry made his way towards the crowd, Draco came into his line of vision with something shiny in his hand. Harry was unable to tell what the object was but from the look on Draco's face, it was important.

"HARRY! QUICK, CATCH!" Draco cried, throwing the shiny object towards the castle. Without hesitation, Harry zoomed past the finish line and towards the object. Harry caught the small little glass ball just a few feet away from the castle. Somehow Harry managed to turn back towards the crowd just seconds before he would have smashed into the castle wall.

When Harry finally landed, he could hear the first-years all clapping and cheering for Harry... Until Professor Snape came onto the quidditch pitch. Harry couldn't read his father's expression but he felt his stomach fall to his feet in dread.

"Weasley! You will wait outside my office. Snape, you will come with me!" Harry flinched at the tone of his father's voice. He had heard him use that tone with Weasel but never when speaking to him. Harry could tell he was in a lot of trouble. He wished the ground would open up and swallow him because he didn't want to think about how disappointed his father undoubtedly was.

When Harry's father strode towards the castle, Harry and Ron both followed him. Harry didn't say a single word, but Weasley called Harry everything but his name as they walked towards the castle, thinking Severus couldn't hear him. But Harry knew that not only could his father hear him but he was probably taking note of every single word the red-head was saying.

* * *

"So Harry, how much trouble are you in?" Draco asked when Harry finally appeared in the Slytherin common room. Harry's expression was blank as he sat down next to Draco.

"I have detention for a whole week," Harry said, making it clear there was more to follow. Draco nodded, waiting to hear the rest of Harry's punishment. It was clear he was wondering just how much trouble his plan had gotten Harry into. He'd just wanted to test a theory and find out if Harry would have made a good seeker; he didn't want Harry to get in trouble.

"He also said I've lost my broom priveledges for the next month... outside of quidditch practices of course," Harry said, showing a hint of a smile as he said the last part.

"That makes sense... Wait! Quidditch practice? Harry?" Draco asked, a smile slowly appearing on his face as he clued into what Harry had just said.

"Well, my father was so impressed with what he saw, that he decided it would be a _crime_ not to put me on the team. As of today, I am Slytherins new seeker," Harry said proudly, finally letting his excitement and pride show. Harry was now shaking with excitement and Draco was also excited and relieved that his plan didn't get Harry into too much trouble.

"That's awesome, Harry! You will be the youngest seeker in..."

"A century! And the best will be when Weasel comes to the game in Slytherin colours..." Harry said laughing as he thought about Weasley sitting in the stands wearing green and silver. "I'll make sure at one point to _dedicate_ the first match to him."

"I can't wait! I think the first match is Slytherin versus Gryffindor, so..."

Harry and Draco spent the rest of the night laughing as they envisioned the first quidditch match. Draco told Harry all of the positions and went into detail about what all of them did. By the time Harry and Draco went to bed, Harry was excited and nervous for his first quidditch practice.

* * *

The next morning, in the Great Hall, Harry and Draco were joined at the table by Marcus Flint, the Slytherin quidditch captain.

"Snape's just told me you're our new seeker," Marcus whispered so nobody at any other table could hear him. "Say's you're our secret weapon. I want to take you out and see what you've got. I got permission to give you extra training to prepare you for the first match during your flying lessons. You better be as good as he says you are."

Once Marcus was done talking, he stood up and walked towards the other end of the Slytherin table. Harry and Draco shared a brief look before returning back to their meals. The best part of the morning was glancing over to the time dials and seeing how many points Gryffindor had lost from all of the cursing and swearing Weasley had done yesterday.

* * *

 **Another chapter up; I'm hoping to start updating this story more often. I've been having a lot of fun coming up with different ideas for my stories. I've finally decided to sit down and come up with solid plot lines for the stories I have up and soon, my stories will be going in a more focused direction. It's so much easier now that I have time to sit down and collect my thoughts.**

 **I'm just back from my Honeymoon and my wife actually came up with a few future ideas for this story and I hope you'll like them as much as I do.**


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